Religious Harmony

Religion and gratitude are connected in two ways:

1. The very core of every religious tradition is gratefulness; and,
    
2. if we have caught on to this basic unity of all religions, we will be grateful for the variety by which they express and celebrate their shared essence.

This provides a firm basis for religious harmony.

Thankfulness is a virtue highly praised by all religious people. But gratefulness goes even further. As the mystical essence at the heart of every spiritual tradition, gratefulness unites different religions at their very center. Each tradition flows from its source in the founder’s own experience of communion with ultimate mystery. This experience wells up again and again in the hearts of all followers throughout the generations. It finds expression in the full response to life as gift, which is nothing other than grateful living.

We humans experience spiritual reality under three aspects: as the unfathomable mystery that surrounds and transcends our life, as our own innermost being, and as the life breath and love energy that flows through the universe and holds all things in harmony. Different traditions emphasize different aspects of this continuum. This alone creates a great diversity, within which historical, geographic, and cultural conditions make for amazingly rich variations. The closer we are to the heart of our own tradition, the more freely we will appreciate the forms in which others celebrate the supreme mystery for which every human heart longs.

Exploring the Heart of Your Spiritual Journey What do the world’s spiritual traditions share in common? How do they differ? This practice will lead you to better understand these issues by taking stock of your own journey. Religious Harmony message board - Here is your place to offer to others encounters with the Divine nearest to your heart. Click Here for more links and resources